| Graduation Year | Class of 1986 |
| Date of Passing | Aug 05, 2017 |
| About | When Glenn Page was a senior at Baldwin Area High School, he received one of the highest honors a Pennsylvania high school football player could. Legendary Penn State coach Joe Paterno drove to Pittsburgh from State College and visited Mr. Page at his school, trying to convince him to play for the Nittany Lions. But Mr. Page politely — as was his nature — declined, opting instead to play for coach Bobby Ross, with whom he felt a strong connection, at Maryland. That decision would send Mr. Page to the Washington, D.C., area where he met his wife, found business success and started a family. A fierce linebacker on the football field but a “gentle giant” off it, Mr. Page died Saturday following a two-plus year battle with leukemia. He was 49. “He was an incredibly gifted athlete,” said Dr. John Schindler, Mr. Page’s lifelong friend. “But, on top of that, as a person he was so much more.” Mr. Page grew up in Whitehall, and from an early age played all sorts of different sports with other kids in the neighborhood. “There was something about the neighborhood that was like glue,” Dr. Schindler said. “We all stayed together many years even after leaving.” The kids played stickball, basketball — whatever was in season, really. But Mr. Page ended up gravitating to football, and played at Baldwin High School, where he is enshrined in the school’s hall of fame. He made the Post-Gazette’s Fab 22, and was recruited by just about every big-name collegiate program: Notre Dame, Florida State, Miami, Southern Cal and, of course, Penn State — Linebacker U. But Mr. Page felt a connection with Mr. Ross, and opted to join the Terrapins. Even though Mr. Ross resigned after one season, Mr. Page stayed at Maryland for five years, finally reaching a first bowl game as a senior in 1990. He graduated from Maryland in 1991, and began working in the banking industry. A few years later, while living with Dr. Schindler in Washington, he went out on a date with a girl named Liz. “I remember their first date when he came home and how ecstatic he was,” Dr. Schindler said. The two eventually married, and that’s when Mr. Page’s priorities shifted to his new family. “Once he met Liz, I could tell she was changing him in a positive way,” Dr. Schindler said. “How happy he was. From there, that became his focus.” As Mr. Page settled down in Maryland, he tried to find a community similar to the one he grew up in in Whitehall. Even though he wasn’t able to move back to Pittsburgh, his heart had really never left. “He was always a Pittsburgh guy at heart,” Dr. Schindler said. “He never, ever forgot his roots.” He also had a special way of making an impact of the people he met along the way, too. A few months ago, while battling leukemia, Mr. Page received a called from Bobby Ross, the coach who caused him to spurn Joe Paterno. Mr. Ross passed along an “incredibly inspirational message” to the player he recruited 22 years ago. “[Glenn] was extremely humble,” Dr. Schindler said. “On the field, he was an animal, and that’s why he played Division I football. But if you didn’t know him outside of football, that was your loss.” Mr. Page is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children. His memorial service is scheduled for Saturday in Ellicott City, Md. |
